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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to Interactive effects of microplastic pollution and heat stress on reef-building corals
ClearInteractive effects of microplastic pollution and heat stress on reef-building corals
Researchers tested the combined effects of microplastic pollution and heat stress on five reef-building coral species in controlled laboratory experiments. They found that while heat stress caused significant bleaching, tissue death, and reduced photosynthetic efficiency, microplastics alone had only minor effects at ambient temperatures, suggesting that climate change remains a far greater threat to coral reefs than microplastic pollution.
Exposure to global change and microplastics elicits an immune response in an endangered coral
Researchers exposed an endangered coral species to combined stressors of elevated seawater temperature, reduced pH, and microplastics, finding that these global change factors together with local microplastic pollution elicit measurable immune responses, suggesting additive or synergistic stress effects on reef-building corals.
Heterotrophic feeding modulates the effects of microplastic on corals, but not when combined with heat stress
Researchers tested whether providing extra food to corals could help them cope with microplastic pollution and heat stress. While supplemental feeding did offset some negative effects of microplastics alone, it could not protect corals when microplastics were combined with elevated temperatures. The study suggests that during marine heatwaves, corals face compounding stressors that feeding alone cannot overcome.
Impact of micro-and nanoplastic contamination on reef-building corals
Researchers exposed two tropical coral species to micro- and nanoplastics of varying polymer types and assessed bleaching, symbiont loss, and tissue damage. Both species showed stress responses including reduced photosynthetic efficiency and partial bleaching, with effects varying by plastic type and size, suggesting reef-building corals are vulnerable to plastic pollution.
Microplastic exposure under future oceanic conditions further threatens an endangered coral, Acropora cervicornis
Researchers exposed the threatened Caribbean coral Acropora cervicornis to microplastics under predicted future ocean conditions (acidification and warming) and found that combined stressors were more damaging than individual stressors. Growth rates declined and photosynthetic efficiency dropped most under the combined microplastic plus ocean warming and acidification treatment.
Oxidative stress and histological alterations in coral Briareum violacea co-exposed to ocean acidification and microplastic stressors
Researchers exposed the coral Briareum violacea to combined ocean acidification and polyethylene microplastics for 21 days. The study found that the combination of lower pH and microplastic exposure caused greater oxidative stress and tissue damage than either stressor alone, suggesting that these two major environmental threats may have compounding effects on coral health.
Physical and cellular impact of environmentally relevant microplastic exposure on thermally challenged Pocillopora damicornis (Cnidaria, Scleractinia)
Corals exposed to microplastics at levels currently found in the ocean showed more cellular damage when also stressed by warm water temperatures. The microplastics triggered inflammation-like responses and slowed down tissue repair in the corals. This matters because coral reefs are already under severe pressure from climate change, and microplastic pollution appears to make their situation worse.
Research progress in ecotoxicology of climate change coupled with marine pollutions
This review examined how rising ocean temperatures and acidification from climate change interact with marine pollutants including microplastics, finding that combined stressors often produce worse effects than either alone. The research underscores that plastic pollution cannot be addressed in isolation from the broader context of global climate change.
Common types of microdebris affect the physiology of reef-building corals
Researchers tested how several common types of microdebris, including microplastic fibers, fragments, and other small particles, affect reef-building corals. They found that exposure to mixed debris types caused greater stress responses in the corals than single-polymer exposures typically used in lab studies. The findings suggest that real-world microdebris pollution, which involves multiple materials at once, may be more harmful to coral reef health than previous single-material experiments have indicated.
Responses of reef building corals to microplastic exposure
Researchers exposed six species of small-polyp stony corals to polyethylene microplastics to characterize their responses and potential health effects. They found that corals interacted with the particles through ingestion and adhesion, with responses varying by species and coral morphology. The study suggests that microplastic exposure could affect reef-building corals, which are already under stress from climate change and ocean acidification.
"Groundbreaking study: Combined effect of marine heatwaves and polyethylene microplastics on Pacific oysters, Crassostrea gigas"
Researchers studied the combined effects of marine heatwaves and polyethylene microplastics on Pacific oysters, an important aquaculture species. They found that elevated temperatures and microplastic exposure together caused greater stress responses than either factor alone, affecting the oysters' immune function and energy reserves. The study highlights the growing ecological risk from multiple environmental stressors acting simultaneously on marine organisms.
Impacts of microplastics on reef-building corals: Disentangling the contribution of the chain scission products released by weathering
Researchers investigated how microplastics harm reef-building corals by separating the effects of physical contact from the chemical leachates released as plastics degrade. They found that while physical interaction with the particles caused immediate tissue damage, the chemical breakdown products from aged plastics created additional toxic effects. The study highlights that weathered microplastics pose a compound threat to coral health through both mechanical abrasion and chemical contamination.
Oysters under anthropogenic pressure: A cellular perspective on the interactive effects of microplastic pollution and climate change
Researchers exposed oysters to microplastics under combined conditions of elevated temperature and ocean acidification, finding that climate change stressors significantly altered the cellular response to MP pollution. Temperature had a stronger effect than acidification, and combined stressors produced non-additive interactions in immune and oxidative stress markers.
Increasing microplastic concentrations have nonlinear impacts on the physiology of reef-building corals
Researchers exposed reef-building corals to increasing microplastic concentrations and found nonlinear effects on coral physiology, suggesting that low and high MP levels may have qualitatively different biological impacts. The findings complicate predictions of how coral reefs will respond as ocean MP pollution increases.
Mathematical Analysis on the Effects of Microplastic Pollution and Ocean Acidification on Coral Reefs in Aquatic Ecosystem
Researchers developed a mathematical model with time-varying parameters to simulate the combined effects of microplastic pollution and ocean acidification on coral reef ecosystems, finding that the interaction between these stressors can amplify ecological damage beyond what either factor causes alone.
Microplastics ingestion and heterotrophy in thermally stressed corals
Researchers exposed two coral species to ambient and elevated temperatures and then fed them microplastics, Artemia nauplii, or both, finding that thermal stress significantly reduced feeding on prey but did not decrease microplastic ingestion. Notably, one species only ingested microplastics when live food was simultaneously present, suggesting incidental rather than selective uptake and highlighting species-level variability in microplastic risk under climate change.
Stressed out in a changed world: investigating the strength of the temperate coral response to acute and chronic anthropogenic stress
This study examined how multiple simultaneous stressors — elevated temperature, microplastic pollution, and reduced food and light availability — affect the physiology and survival of a temperate coral species used as a research model. Corals experiencing chronic exposure to these combined stressors showed reduced ability to respond to additional acute stress events.
Micro- and nanoplastics effects in a multiple stressed marine environment
Researchers examined how micro- and nanoplastics interact with other environmental stressors in marine settings, finding that realistic multi-stressor scenarios can amplify or modify plastic toxicity in ways single-exposure studies miss.
Acute microplastic exposure raises stress response and suppresses detoxification and immune capacities in the scleractinian coral Pocillopora damicornis
Researchers exposed the reef-building coral Pocillopora damicornis to microplastics and found elevated stress responses along with suppressed immune and cellular defense capacities. The study suggests that microplastic pollution could compromise coral health by overwhelming stress pathways while simultaneously weakening the organisms' ability to cope with other environmental threats.
Microplastics: impacts on corals and other reef organisms
This study reviewed the growing body of evidence on how microplastics and nanoplastics affect corals and other reef organisms. Researchers found that these plastic particles can impair coral feeding, growth, and reproduction, and may worsen the effects of other stressors like ocean warming. The review highlights that plastic pollution represents an additional serious threat to already vulnerable reef ecosystems worldwide.
Combined toxicity of microplastics and copper on Goniopora columns
Researchers found that when microplastics and copper are present together in ocean water, they cause significantly more damage to coral than microplastics alone, reducing polyp length, killing symbiotic algae, and overwhelming the coral's antioxidant defenses. The combined exposure caused oxidative stress within just one day and progressively worsened over a week. This matters for human health because coral reef decline threatens the fisheries and coastal protection that millions of people depend on.
Effects of microplastic combined with Cr(III) on apoptosis and energy pathway of coral endosymbiont
Researchers found that polyethylene microplastics combined with chromium affected coral endosymbiont density, chlorophyll content, and key enzymes involved in apoptosis and energy metabolism, revealing compounded stress on reef-building corals.
Combined effects of microplastics contamination and marine heatwaves on carbon cycling in coastal marine sediments
Researchers investigated the combined effects of microplastic contamination and marine heatwaves on carbon cycling processes in coastal marine sediments, examining how co-occurring stressors interact to alter microbial carbon processing. The study found that microplastics and elevated temperatures associated with marine heatwaves produced interactive effects on sediment carbon cycling, demonstrating that these two anthropogenic pressures cannot be adequately assessed in isolation.
Combined effects of global warming and microplastic exposure from individual to populational levels of a benthic copepod
This study examined the combined effects of global warming and microplastic exposure on aquatic organisms from the individual to the population level, investigating how these two co-occurring stressors interact. Warming amplified some microplastic effects, suggesting that climate change will exacerbate the ecological consequences of plastic pollution in aquatic ecosystems.